Edward dickson



tries.

ATENT EDWARD DIOKSQN, or OAK LAKE, CANADA.

7 'euws owoss.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,536, datedSeptember 8, 1896., Application filed August 27, 18 95. ericl No.560,699. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD D1cKsoN.a citizen of Canada, residing at OakLake, in the county of Dennis and Province of Manitoba, Canada, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Gunpowderyand I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such-as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same;

-My invention relates to improvements in gunpowders; and it has'foritsgeneral object to provide a powder which, while possessing greatpower,makes very little noise and smoke and causes but little recoil.

.To the attainment of the foregoingend the invention consists of thefollowing ingredients, combined in the proportions stated, viz:

barium nitrate, forty per cent; wheat-flour, six and two-thirds percent.-; ferrocyanid of potassium, six and two-thirds per cent. picricacidjthirty-two per cent. chlorate of potash, six and two-thirds percent. liquid ammonia, eight per cent; lampblack, one per cent. Theseingredients are thoroughly mixed in any suitable manner and are thengranulated, after which they are subjected to a bath of refinedpetroleum which has been previously treated with nitric acid,(preferably anhydrous) sulfuric acid,and ammoniadn succession.

In making the coating for the grains of powder about one-quarter of apound ofnitric acid (preferably anhydrous) is added to one gallon ofrefined petroleum and the mixture,

\ is permitted to stand about thirty minutes.

One-quarter of a pound of sulfuric acid is then mixed with the refinedpetroleum and nitric acid and the entiremixture is permitted to standabout two hours. The petroleum, with the acids, is then poured out intoanother vessel and about one-half pound of liquid ammonia is added tothe mixture and it is permitted to stand for about twenty-four hours.

WVhen anhydrous nitric and sulfuric acids are intimately mixed withordinary refined petroleum in the proportions or approximate proportionsstated, a resinous substance is ,precipitated and a number of heavynitro compounds of complex origin are formed, the latter remaining insolution and imparting to the liquid the property of forming acoating Iimpervious to moisture to the material to whichit may beapplied. Aportion of the excess of acid is neutralized by treating with ammonia,as described, which also dissolves out the sulfuric compounds which havebeen formed by the action of the sulfuric acid.

hen the powder is to be immersed in the petroleum, prepared asabovedescribed, all

dust is removed from the powder and thesame is then placed in a rotarydrum. This drum is then rotated, and while it is in motion the preparedpetroleum is poured upon it until which has been subjected to the actionof nitric acid, sulfuric acid and ammonia after the removal of theresinous substance precipitated therefrom, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD DIOKSON.

Witnesses:

WILLI M J. THORNELOE, JOHN EMsLIE.

